Guardian Angel
by Dave
Summary: A Jedi is killed while searching for an ancient Jedi artifact. This comes at a crucial time for the Jedi, for the Sith have returned after a long absence. This story comes about a decade before The Phantom Menace.


Guardian Angel

By David Pontier

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The young woman sat shivering under a blanket. Outside of the cabin, on the outskirts of the city, the sky threatened to bring the season's first snow. The wind was slight, but the air was crisp and cold. Inside the cabin the temperature was significantly warmer, but the young woman shivered none-the-less.

Davies added another log to the already blazing fire hoping to add to the warmth in the room and comfort the woman. He smiled at her, but got no response. Moving back to his chair across from the woman, Davies retrieved a steaming mug and offered it to his companion. "It's hot chocolate," he said.

The woman reached forward carefully, and pulled the mug back to her. It was too hot to drink, but just holding it in two hands, cradled beneath her face, seemed to bring warmth back to her entire body. "Thank you."

Her thanks were only some of the very few words she had spoken in the last few days. The Knights of Thersima had found her unconscious two days ago and had nursed her back to health, but she was too much in shock to respond to their questions. Davies had been able to convince them to release her into his custody, saying that he might have more luck coaxing what had happened out of her. The simple thanks was a big step.

"Do you need another blanket?" he asked.

The woman smiled back at him. "This should be fine," she responded, lifting the mug slightly. "Thank you."

When she smiled her face lit up, and Davies smiled back. He was probably ten years older than she was, and his soft demeanor differed greatly from the rough knights. Though they kept this primitive land relatively free of crime, their methods were often questionable. Davies just hoped he would be able to get her to open up so he could find out what had happened to Jedi Nikaltho.

"Your name is Nat?" Davies asked carefully.

"Natashmi," she corrected hastily, showing the most emotion thus far.

"I'm sorry, Natashmi." Davies bowed his head slightly. "The women at the Traveler's Haven said your name was just Nat."

Natashmi just nodded in response, taking her first hesitant sip from her drink.

"You knew Nikaltho Corstan, right?"

Natashmi did not say anything for a while. She swirled her dark drink in slow circles under her chin as she blew on it. She took another small sip and looked up. "You are a Jedi, aren't you?"

Davies looked startled. "I can use the Force, yes. How did you know?"

"You remind me of Nik. He said his friends might come for him. You did not come soon enough. He is gone."

Davies brightened at this sudden openness despite the troubling news. "What do you mean gone?"

"Dead!" Natashmi huffed and then quickly huddled under her blanket as if there were people sleeping in the next room and she was supposed to be quiet. "You did not come soon enough, and they killed him."

"Who killed him? How did he die?"

At the flurry of questions Natashmi huddled even deeper into her blanket. The vacant look in her eyes that had been so prevalent in the past two days returned, and Davies cursed himself. It would take time to get the whole story out of this frightened young woman. There was only one way to go about this.

"I'm sorry. Please, can you tell me how you met him? Just start from the beginning."

Natashmi sat up a bit straighter and took a long sip from her steaming mug. She set the drink down on the table in front of her and tried to compose herself. "I work – or at least worked – at the Traveler's Haven. It was almost a week ago, I think." She paused again as she gathered her thoughts.

"Please take your time," Davies said. "Don't forget anything because you are in a hurry. We've got all the time in the world."

Natashmi looked up at him and smiled. She continued her story.

***

Nat sat next to a small table, leaning her wooden chair against the back wall of the spacious tavern. Her hands were in constant motion, either rubbing out the wrinkles in her old dress or smoothing out her hair, which always seemed to work its way out of her tight bun. A noise from above caught her attention, and she saw a hand and arm moving along the railing directly above her. The man went cautiously as he worked his way toward the main stairs that led down to the ground floor of the tavern.

The man was not old, but he moved with a gait that would normally imply great age. It was obvious he was trying to conceal this limp as much as possible, and his current condition was one he felt quite embarrassed about. The stairs swept around so that Nat got a good profile of the man as he made it to the ground floor.

The three women who sat near Nat smiled at him. "You come back real soon," one of them said to him.

The man grunted under his breath, and made his slow way to the exit. The burly barkeep watched from behind his bar and frowned. After the man left, the bartender turned his eyes back to the second floor balcony. A woman was walking the same path the man just had, but there was a bit more bounce in her step. Her hands smoothed out her ruffled dress and patted her poofed hair.

"Nancy," the bartender scolded as the woman made it back to the main floor, "must you be so rough with my guests? I'm going to have to start calling this the Traveler's Hell instead of Haven."

"He said he liked it rough," Nancy replied as she took a seat next to the other women who sat near Nat, "so I made it rough." The four older women laughed as Nat looked on curiously. Nancy caught the look. "Oh, don't worry, dear, I'm fine. And you would not have been able to handle him, trust me."

Nat did not appreciate the put down. "I could have," she spit back. Her slight frame paled in comparison to her four companions, but she had an inner fire that was undeniable. When none of the women replied to her claim, she lost a bit of her bluster, but not her determination. "But you never even let me have a turn. I feel like I am worthless."

One of the other women looked at her. "Don't be so quick to ask for what you don't understand."

"Besides," Nancy added. "You are doing plenty. You just keep that pretty face of yours smiling at everyone who walks in the door, and we'll keep taking them in." She reached into a fold in her dress. "And taking their money." She dropped a few coins on the table.

The other women laughed as they took their share. Nancy tossed a coin to Nat, and the young girl caught it easily. True, the coins in her room upstairs numbered more than she could count, but she felt worthless. Every man that came over to see them wanted to go upstairs with Nat, but the other women always managed to convince him that he wanted someone older or more experienced or softer or stronger or – if all else failed - someone less expensive.

Nat pocketed her coin and began to survey the tavern again. There were several customers sitting at the many tables in the center of the room, but not one of them was a potential client. They were just here for a meal. Instead, Nat focused her attention on the main entrance. She was determined to get the next man to walk in through the door.

The next visitor to the Traveler's Haven did not walk through the door – he ran. The man wore a soft, brown cloak over a white tunic and loose pants. It was not typical dress for Thersima, and strangers were not common; the knights made sure of that. The man fit none of the characteristics that Nat had learned to look for in potential clients, but as he scanned the room, his eyes fell on Nat, and he moved toward her corner with a purpose. As his eyes locked with hers, Nat could not help but notice how breathtakingly good looking he was.

"Easy big boy," one of the other women said, standing and moving between the stranger and Nat. "I think you're going to be needing a bit more than our young lass can give you. Why don't you come with-"

The stranger pushed her away. It was not a violent shove, but a very effective one. The other three women rose at once, wondering what this stranger's intent was. He stopped before they violently attacked him and looked at them calmly. "I need the young woman."

He said it with such calm conviction and sincerity that all three women just nodded their heads. "Of course you do," Nancy responded. "Take her up to the big room at the end of the hall." She motioned to the stairs.

"Thank you," the stranger said. He grabbed Nat's wrist and pulled her toward the stairs.

This was not how Nat had expected it to happen. She had tried to play this event over in her head many times in the past few months, and this was not it. She had planned on playing the part of the seductress like her companions always did. Of course the reason they usually had to do this was because the men were too often set on Nat, and the other women had to change their mind.

Granted, Nat did not possess the ample curves of the other women, but her slim figure had its alluring aspects. Instead, she was being dragged up the stairs like a pony after being purchased at a market. Nat got her feet under her and tried to take control of the situation. The room at the end of the hall was the biggest one and was usually reserved for the rich customers who appreciated a little role playing with their pleasure.

Nat quickened her step so she could lead the stranger to the room. Through the door was a large room filled with elaborate furniture. The bed was huge, but it was also surrounded by luxurious couches and chairs. Tables with fragrant flowers sat all around the room, and several colorful rugs were scattered across the floor. Nat skipped to the center of the room and leaned casually against the posts that supported the tall bed canopy.

The stranger did not give her or the furniture a second look, but instead moved to the side of the room where dressers and cabinets stood. He began opening and closing as many drawers and compartments as he could, acting as if Nat was not even there.

This was definitely not going how Nat had planned. She wanted to talk to him, but she remembered what the other women had told her. In situations like this, actions and gestures speak much louder than words. Nat was nervous, and this stranger's unwillingness to do what was expected of him did not help matters. She was not quite sure what she was supposed to do, but by the way the other women were always fastening their dresses when they were finished, she had a feeling it required her to get out of hers.

The dress was simple, just two thin shoulder straps and a bow holding the back closed. She moved away from the bed and reached back behind her for the bow. She had tied it that morning, and was normally very flexible, but now, with her arms shaking from nervousness, she could not seem to grasp the elusive strings.

As she awkwardly tried to reach her arms over her shoulder and around her back, she carelessly kicked a table and nearly knocked it over. The noise startled the stranger, and he turned about suddenly, a stout cylinder in his hand. Nat was embarrassed and quickly leaned herself back against the bedpost as if nothing had happened.

The stranger relaxed and returned the cylinder to a hook on his belt. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"N-nothing," Nat responded. He turned around, but his searching through the dressers was no longer frantic.

"What's your name?" he asked with his back turned.

Nat noticed that with her arm leaning against the bedpost, it no longer shook from nervousness. Moving her feet further away from the bed, she was able to angle her body so her arm could stretch around to the back. "Um, Nat."

"Nat?" the man responded. "That hardly sounds like a woman's name."

Nat grunted a little as her arm was just about to her bow. "It's not my whole name. My real name is Natashmi, but everyone just calls-" she grabbed the loose string of her bow, but in straightening her arm, she lost contact with the bed post. Her arms flailed and grasped at anything she could reach. The lace sheets from the bed's canopy hung low, and she grabbed hold of them, ripping them down and bringing several decorative pillows with them. She hit the floor hard as the ripped sheets, broken pieces of canopy, and pillows rained down around her.

One of the pillows struck a lamp on the bedside table and knocked it into the air. As the expensive glass and crystal lamp flew toward the ground, Nat winced, waiting for the impact, but a quick hand snatched it up at the last second. The stranger carefully placed the lamp back on the table and moved toward Nat. "What are you doing?" he asked for a second time.

Nat sat up slowly. Her hair was in disarray now, and since she had been successful in untying her bow, the front of her dress hung loosely from her shoulders. As she sat up, one of the shoulder straps fell down her arm, but the stranger was quick to catch it and put it back in place. Holding her firmly by the upper arms, he pulled her to her feet.

"I thought we were going to, uh, you know," Nat mumbled as she stood. She motioned to the bed, which was now a mess.

"No," the stranger replied, "I don't." He really did not. He had run into the tavern on instinct and had done very little to analyze the situation since then. Now, as Nat continued to mumble, he began to understand what she was talking about.

"I thought we were going to do, uh, 'IT.'"

"It?"

"Yeah," Nat replied, "IT. You know." She looked back toward the bed.

The stranger took a step back to look at Nat. "Have you ever done 'it' before, Natashmi?"

Nat became suddenly defensive. She took a step away from the man. "Of course I have. It's my job. I work with the women down stairs. I've been up here many . . ." Her voice trailed off as she met the stare this perceptive stranger was giving her. "They won't let me," she said. "I want to, but they won't let me." She looked at the wrecked bed. "We still can, you know. We can go to a different room-"

The stranger did not have time for this. The men who were chasing him were certainly on their way to the tavern by now, and he needed to get away. But he had to help her. It was his job. "They love you."

"Huh?" Nat reacted very awkwardly at the "L" word.

The stranger closed in on her and grabbed her by the shoulders to support her. "How old are you?" he asked.

"Sixteen," she said after a bit of hesitation.

He shook his head. "You are eighteen. You ran away from home six years ago because you were tired of listening to your parents fight and tired of your older brother getting into trouble."

"How-" she started, but the stranger quieted her.

"You wanted to be loved, and you felt it was not possible at home, so you ran away. You stayed with a small farming family for a while. They tried to show you love but you would not accept it. You thought it was charity, and you wanted to earn it. You spent several years wandering the streets, begging for food and money. Then you heard about," he paused, looking for the right word, "IT. You thought that was finally what you've been looking for. But it is not the kind of love you need. The women downstairs realized this right away. They did not know how to say this to you, so instead they kept you from a lifestyle that had been forced on them a long time ago."

Nat was in shock. She was too stunned by this fleshing out of her life to produce tears, but every other part of her body and soul wailed in sorrow.

"You have been shown love at every turn, but you did not recognize it. Love is not something you can earn. Love is not something you," he looked over at the bed, "can be paid for. You can only get love when you give it. The more you give, the more you get. You have been looking for it so hard, that you failed to see it was right in front of you. You didn't know what you were really looking for and would never be able to find it no matter how hard you looked."

The stranger stepped back. Nat stood in a trance. Her body swayed back and forth as if in a dream. Her life had just been ripped out, torn apart, and then handed back to her in a nice neat package. It now filled a void that had been so full of useless anger and frustration before, that she had no idea what to do with the freed up space. She was lost in it.

"I am being chased," the stranger suddenly changed gears. Nat did not register the words. Her eyes stared blankly ahead as her mind swam about looking for something it could recognize. Still, her ears heard the words and her subconscious stored them for a later time when she would be capable of analyzing them.

He reached into the neck of his tunic and pulled out a medallion. It was circular, roughly the size of his palm. It looked to have been carved out of stone. It had a solid rim that made up its circumference and had two cross pieces that made an "X" in the center of the circle. Where the cross pieces would have intersected, a dark sapphire that fluctuated between dark blue and black, depending on the angle, was set in the stone. It took up half of the surface area of the medallion.

"They are after me, but they are also after this. It is called Katshlauck. I am going to hide it in this room. When they come, tell them I left through the window. Keep this room secure, and I will be back for the medallion."

Nat still did not register that she had heard any of this. The stranger started to move away but turned back once more. "One last thing," he added. He looked deep into her eyes. "You look like an angel." He stepped up, grabbed her by the arms, drew her to him, and kissed her.

Not only had Nat never done "it" before, but she had never been kissed either. At least not like this stranger now kissed her. Her consciousness had been floundering about searching for something to latch onto, but now it straightened itself as if jolted into coherence by a charge of electricity. Her feelings returned to her, and her jumbled emotions came back with a gentle calm.

The stranger released her lips and moved away from her. Nat's eyes were closed, and her body was in a sort of stasis. She remained in that position until the spell was broken.

The door to the room exploded inward, and three men rushed into the room. Nat yanked her eyes open at the noise and yelped in fright at the sight of the intruders. She backpedaled until her back was against the bed and took stock of the men before her.

The leader of the trio was obvious. He was dressed in the same brown cloak that the previous man had worn, but his clothes underneath were black. He radiated the same type of power as the other man had also, but instead of drawing Nat to him, the new man repulsed her.

Behind him and to his right was a giant. The man topped two meters easily, and the way he carried his bulk gave anyone who saw him the impression that his sole purpose in life was to break things. The other man looked like a midget next to his taller companion, but he looked no less dangerous. He moved with a quick precision that promised great skill in whatever he endeavored to do. Right now it did not look like any of the three wanted to do anything nice.

"He was here," the leader said, looking around the room. It looked like he was a hound dog sniffing the air. "He was here recently."

Only now did Nat's memories come flashing back to her. She remembered everything the stranger had said all the way up to the kiss, and then . . . Well it felt like the kiss had come just a second before these three had entered, but looking about, Nat could see that there was no one else in the room.

The giant and midget began to move toward Nat, but the leader held them in check. "Was Nikaltho here?"

"Nik-who?" Nat replied.

The leader shook his head in frustration. He half closed his eyes, and Nat could feel his presence inside her head. Before she could fight against it, the leader had the information he wanted. "He was here."

"The window," the midget pointed out, running over to the corner of the room where a window stood open. "He left through the window. He must have left just recently. We should be able to catch him."

"Wait!" the leader called. "Something is not right here. Nikaltho is a Jedi Knight, he would not bring this woman into this for no reason. He would not endanger her unless he was using her for something." The leader turned to Nat. "What did he tell you?"

"Nothing, he didn't tell me anything," she stammered.

"Come on, Korath, she's just a whore," the giant said, addressing the leader. "She doesn't know anything."

Korath turned to look at the giant. "Leon, only you would be stupid enough to stop for a quickie during the middle of a chase. Nikaltho is not stupid, he brought this girl into it for a reason."

"What," Leon asked, "do you think he gave Katshlauck to her? I'm telling you, she knows nothing."

At the mention of the medallion, Nat's memory was jolted. She made no outward gesture, but her sudden memory of the item screamed out to Korath in the Force. He spun back to look at Nat. "You know about Katshlauck? Why did he show it to you?"

"I, uh," she stuttered, but Korath was reading her mind like an open book.

"He hid it in this room thinking we would just run through. Oric," he called to the midget, who was still standing by the window, "search those cabinets and dressers. Leon, rip apart the furniture. And you," he said, leveling a steely gaze on Nat. "You better tell me where he put that medallion."

Nat was already backed against the bed and had nowhere to go as Korath closed on her. She tried not to think about where Nikaltho had hid the medallion, but as she looked for that memory to hide, she found it was not there. Korath too looked for the location within her memory, but it was nowhere to be found.

"Where did he put it!" the Dark Jedi screamed. "You were in this room the whole time. You must have seen him hide it!"

"It's not here," Oric called from his side of the room after a while. "He must have taken it with him."

"No!" Korath said. "It is here. He charged this whore with guarding it and-" as he said it, he realized how stupid it sounded.

"He would never abandon such a powerful artifact to the care of one such as this," Oric said. "He must have planted false memories in her head.

Korath spun away from Nat, cursing loudly. He did not appreciate being made a fool of. After the uncontrolled outburst, he turned back to Nat, an evil grin spread across his lips. "We'll take the girl with us."

"But she will just slow us down," Leon argued. "Besides, she knows nothing."

"That is what Nikaltho was planning on. He would not have brought an innocent girl into this unless he felt confident we would leave her alone. So we take her."

"But why?" Oric insisted. "Sidious charged us with capturing Nikaltho and bringing back the medallion. Leon is right. The girl will just slow us down."

"I know what Sidious's commands are," Korath bit back. "I am tired of playing Nikaltho's games. Now he will play mine. We will take the girl and wait. When he finds out that he has endangered an innocent, he will come back for her. We will be ready."

"What makes you so sure he will know that we have her?" Leon asked. Oric nodded, thinking the same thing.

"Don't doubt my orders, you pathetic inforps. You should never underestimate the Jedi. He knows more about us than you could guess. Especially with the medallion, his Force skills and perception are augmented even further. He will find out that we have the girl, and he will come to us. He will bring Katshlauck with him, and we will make a trade."

Leon and Oric nodded, though neither was really convinced. They had encountered Nikaltho several times before, but had always ran from the confrontation. They did not see how this would be different.

Korath grabbed Nat by the arm. "Come on, miss. You'll enjoy your stay with us."

***

Natashmi put her empty mug down on the table with her left hand as her right played with a pendant that hung from her neck. She had shrugged off the blanket during her story. Her chill was mostly the result of her reclusive disposition, but in telling the story that had weighed down on her for the past few days, the imagined chill was removed.

Davies watched her for a while as she absently played with her pendant. He could not quite make out what it was, but it appeared to be a figurine of some sort. "What is that?" he asked.

Natashmi had been staring a hole in the floor, and shook herself from her trance. "Uh what? Oh, this?" She suddenly noticed what she was doing. She looked at the small silver figure. It was a beautiful woman, no bigger than her thumb, dressed in flowing robes. She had wings. "Oh, it is nothing." She quickly tucked it back in her shirt.

Davies shrugged and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "I'm sorry," he said, rising from his chair. "Are you hungry?"

Natashmi nodded and picked up the empty mug for him. He took the mug and left the room momentarily. While he was gone, Natashmi stared into the fire, trying to recall the events of that night almost a week ago. Davies returned momentarily with a bowl of soup and a cup of water. He set it in front of her, but Natashmi continued to stare into fire.

"Here you go," Davies said, trying to pull her away. "Eat."

***

"Here you go, eat."

Nat looked away from the fire and into the eyes of Oric. He offered her a small piece of meat. She took it hesitantly, but her hunger won out, and she began to eat. They had traveled most of the day, not stopping once. Nat had been bound and gagged and placed on the back of a horse. Now she sat in front of a fire, leaning against a rock, trying to stay warm. It was night, and while the crisp fall air was still not cold enough to bring snow, it would be soon, and Nat wore no more than her simple dress.

Her three captors had met up with the rest of their group just before nightfall. Whoever this Darth Sidious was that they kept talking about, he was serious about catching Nikaltho. Besides her three captors, there were four other men. They were all very alert and looked battle hardened. They all had blasters on them, not a common sight on Thersima, for the knights forbid their use. They each also had cylinders similar to the one that Nat had seen Nikaltho produce when they had been up in the room.

None of them talked much, and they did not talk at all to her. She had only been untied when they deemed it too dark and cold for her to run away. Nat tried not to think about what was going to happen to her. They had said she would be traded to Nikaltho for this strange medallion they were interested in, but she doubted they would go through with it. They did not seem like the kind of men who kept their word.

"He will probably come tonight, you know." Nat looked up from her small meal to see that Oric was still standing over her. "Korath said that he can feel his presence nearby. Neither one of you will survive this night."

Oric crouched down so he could whisper into her ear. "So if you have any last requests or desires, I'm willing to fulfil them for you."

Nat had no idea what he was talking about, but his tone of voice sent shivers down her spine. She turned to look him in the face and spit on him. Oric leaped back suddenly, wiping the pieces of chewed meat off his face. "You ungrateful wench."

"Ungrateful?" Nat responded. "Why should I be grateful? You've treated me like filth."

"Bah," Oric grunted and walked away.

Nat sat in silence. She stared into the fire. Her thoughts went back to that morning when she had met Nikaltho. There was something about him that stirred her emotions deep inside. He had spoken of love and what it was, and while she felt it had sunk deep with in her then, she could recall very few of the words now. Instead all she knew was that he had set her soul and mind free. The grief and sorrow that had existed within her was gone and while she did not know exactly what she wanted now, she did know what she did not want.

Nat did not want to return to her old life. She no longer wanted to work with the women at the Traveler's Haven. The unknown unpleasantries that they had kept her from would remain unknown, and she would seek out a meaningful relationship with positive rewards. In the past she had turned everyone away with anger, but now she saw her old actions in a negative light and wished she could redo the last six years of her life.

She knew she could not, but she could start fresh right now. Of course in order to do that, Nikaltho would have to come and save her, and with all of Korath's men waiting for him in a trap, that did not seem likely.

Shouts from the edge of the camp brought Nat out of her contemplation. Was Nik coming for her? She stood up from her crouching position and squinted into the inky blackness of the night. An arm wrapped around her throat. "You hear that?" a strange voice whispered into her ear. It was not one of the three that she knew. "Your boyfriend is coming for you. You're going to help me stop him before he kills all of us. Scream."

The unknown man pulled her away from the fire into the main clearing of the camp. "I said scream!"

He jabbed something sharp into her side and she complied. "Nik!"

Nikaltho responded by walking out of the darkness into the light of the fire. "Let her go," he said calmly.

The man behind Nat produced one of the mysterious cylinders and brought forth a tremendous glowing blade. He brought the weapon up to Nat's neck so she could feel the heat coming off the deadly lightsaber. "I don't think so," the man replied. "Give me the medallion, and I'll think about it."

"What use do you have for Katshlauck," Nik responded. "You're just an inforp. You will never be able to understand its power."

"Perhaps not," the kidnapper replied, "but I understand its prophecy, and I will sleep a lot better at night if I know that you don't have it."

"Behind you!" Nat suddenly cried before her captor could tighten his grip around her throat.

Nik had sensed the attacker from his back anyway and did not even bother to turn around. He just ignited his lightsaber and swung it behind him as the assassin swung his own weapon down at the prone Jedi. The sudden parry startled the attacker, and his second attack was late in coming. Nikaltho pulled his lightsaber back from over his shoulder and swung it around his left side.

The man behind was attacking at Nik's right side, and instead of trading blows with the deadly weapon, he desperately tried to bring his lightsaber across his body to stop the blindly aimed attack. The strength of Nik's strike should not have been possible with the angle in which it attacked, and the would-be assassin was crossed up.

Nik sent the tip of his weapon in a short circle, an attack that forced the man behind him to thrust his blade downward. Nike then pulled his blade back out in front of him, flipped it around, and thrust it straight back now under his right arm. The attacker was stumbling forward from his thwarted attack and impaled himself on the thrusting blade.

Nik stepped forward, allowing the dead man behind him to fall. He had just humiliated a highly trained fighter without once even turning to face him. Instead he had stared at the man who held Nat. "Let her go."

The kidnapper was petrified. "We both know I'm only an inforp, and I don't stand a chance against you, but we also know that I can kill this pretty girl with very little effort. If you take another step closer without producing the medallion I will kill her."

"No you won't," Nik said, taking another step closer to the pair. "If you do that, then you won't have a bargaining chip, and I'll kill you for sure."

"Perhaps," the man swallowed hard. "But you will have this girl's death on your conscience. You can not take her from me before I kill her."

"I won't need to," Nik responded, taking another step forward.

The blade against Nat's neck began to burn her chin. "Nik!"

"What are you talking about!?" the man asked, growing nervous about how calm Nikaltho was.

"You are going to let her go on your own when I shoot your foot," Nik responded.

"You don't have a blaster," the man responded.

"No," Nik admitted, "but you do." With that, he motioned a finger toward the pair. The man looked down at the blaster slung at his hip just as it fired. The bolt of energy took half his foot off, and he stumbled backwards in pain, releasing Nat to the ground.

He grabbed for his animated blaster and wrestled it from his side just as it swung up and blasted him in the face. He fell to the ground, quite dead. Nat scrambled away from her captor and his demon possessed weapon. She neglected to look where she was scrambling to, and bumped into Nik. He caught her and pulled her to her feet.

She looked up into his face with a look of wonderment. "Who are you?"

"It's not important right now. What is important is that I get you away from this place. Here," he shrugged off his cloak, "take this. You're going to get cold."

Nat took the cloak and put it on. "What about you?"

Nik just smiled at her. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He led her away from the clearing and the light of the fire. Nat stumbled and tripped over the scattered rocks in the darkness, but Nik would not let her fall. They made it to the horses without incident.

"Where is everyone?" Nat asked. "I counted at least seven men at this camp. Have you killed the rest already?"

Nik shook his head. "Just the two you saw. They know they can not beat me straight up so they are waiting to ambush us."

"And we are just going to walk into it?" Nat was not comfortable with this idea.

"Somewhere in the definition of the word 'ambush' is the phrase 'surprise attack.' We know it's coming, so it won't be a surprise. Now get up on this horse."

Nik helped her up onto the horse and then climbed up in front of her. They set off at a fast pace down the rocky trail. There were not many trees in this area, and the landscape was composed of rocky outcroppings and dramatic elevation changes. The fact that Thersima had no moon and that there was almost always thick cloud cover during the fall meant it was very dark.

The horse picked its way across the uneven terrain slowly at first, but Nik placed his hand on the beast's neck, and it moved forward with more confidence. "Do you see the ledge up ahead?" Nik asked.

Nat strained her eyes against the inky blackness. All she saw were shadows. "No."

"Well there is a ledge a hundred meters ahead. Two more of these goons are waiting for us."

"And we are going to ride right up to them?"

"I have to draw them out," Nik said. "If I don't, they will be shadowing us for the rest of the night."

"Can they see in this darkness?" Nat asked.

"A little, but not as well as I can. Once they attack, it won't matter."

"Why?"

"You'll see," Nik replied.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Nat complained, "but instead all you do is present more mysteries."

"I promise I will tell you anything you want to know in the morning. Right now I have to get you to safety." Nik led the horse right up to the ledge, but kept his distance enough to make the ambush more difficult. They were not able to jump directly on top of them, but it was close.

Nik sprang from the saddle, flipping over the head of the horse, landing a few meters away. Then there was light as four lightsabers sprang to life. One of the attackers held two of glowing swords and charged in conjunction with his partner. Nik scrambled backwards, swiping back and forth with his lone weapon to keep the attacking blades away.

He backed himself into a lone tree, and his two attackers rushed him. Nik went up into the branches, turning off his lightsaber and disappearing into darkness. The attacker with one weapon stood underneath the tree and looked up. A huge branch fell and smacked him in the head. Nik followed the branch close behind, his weapon jumping back to life.

The doomed man staggered under the first two blows, but managed to get his weapon up to block them. The third ripped the weapon from his hand and the fourth ended him. Nik unceremoniously stepped over the fallen attacker to meet the remaining fighter. The man spun his two blades about his body in a dizzying display of swordsmanship. He grinned at Nik. "I don't care who you are. You can not beat me in a fight."

"Skill means nothing if you have been improperly trained."

"Foolishness," the main replied. "You will not beat me with your Jedi rhetoric and propaganda. I was trained by the Sith."

"In battle, the first thing the Sith teach is to attack," Nik stated, walking slowly toward the expert swordsman. "The first thing the Jedi teach is to protect your weapon."

The other man had heard enough and charged. Just as he came within striking distance of Nik, both his weapons winked out. Nothing stood between Nik's blade and the attacker's head except his lightening reflexes. He dropped just beneath the flashing blade and rolled to spot several meters behind Nik.

As the Jedi turned around, the desperate Sith-trained fighter struggled with his weapons. They would not turn back on. "You are too frightened to fight me! You are cheating!"

"And I suppose jumping on top of me in the dark while I am escorting a young woman is playing it fair?"

"Blast you!" the other man screamed and hurled one of his useless lightsabers at Nik. With the free hand he drew his blaster. Between them, the thrown weapon suddenly ignited and deflected the shot back at its shooter. The over-matched fighter now found that he could activate his second weapon again and had it in place to block the returning shot. He tossed aside the blaster and leaped toward Nik, grabbing his floating lightsaber out of the air.

Nik met his charge, batting aside each attack with smooth circular parries. Both lightsabers were thrown wide, and then came back in at the same time like a huge pair of scissors. Instead of backing up, Nik jumped high in the air. The blades crossed beneath him, and he landed back where he had been. His weapon quickly slapped both blades so they continued in their opposite motions, crossing his attacker's arms over his chest.

Nik's foot shot out and caught his opponent square in the face. The man stumbled backwards and Nik pressed his insurmountable advantage. The desperate man tried to uncross his arms, but Nik's lightsaber was just a blur of light, keeping the blades at opposite sides of the body. Finally Nik sliced straight down the middle, right where his adversary's arms were crossed. There was no parry possible, and the doomed fighter cried out as he lost both arms. His cry ended a moment later as Nik finished him.

He walked back to a very stunned Nat, still sitting on a surprisingly calm horse. She looked at him with a very different expression. She did not know if she should be scared of him or thank him for rescuing her. Nik noticed this look as he mounted the horse. "We have a long ride till dawn," he said. "You should try to get some sleep."

"How am I supposed to sleep on the back of the horse with the fear of attackers around ev-" her voice faded away and her head slumped to one side as Nik touched her forehead.

***

"The soup was very good, thank you." Natashmi put the soup bowl on the table in front of her and took a long drink of the cold water. It sent a small chill down her back, and she pulled the blanket back up around her shoulders. Outside it was getting dark and the wind was beginning to pick up. "It's going to snow tonight, isn't it."

Davies nodded. "I think so. Are you warm enough?" Natashmi nodded. "Do you want to wait until morning, or can you finish the story tonight?"

"I can finish it tonight," she replied. "But first tell me one thing, which are you after? Nik or his medallion?"

Davies smiled. "Both, actually. Did Nikaltho tell you how he acquired the medallion?" Natashmi shook her head. "I didn't think so. He stole it from the Knights of Thersima. The knights desperately want it back. I think the real reason they want it is because so many other people are willing to kill for it. They can not use the artifact like Nikaltho can, but that does not mean they can't see its value."

"So you want to find it and return it to the knights?" Natashmi asked.

Davies was silent.

"At least that is what you told them to make them release me to you," she reasoned.

"You are a bright young woman," Davies congratulated her. "It is an ancient Jedi artifact that-"

"I know," Natashmi interrupted. "He told me. I haven't gotten to that part of the story yet. I just wanted to know what your interest was."

"I am not only after Katshlauck. I would like to find Nikaltho as well, but like you said, I think he is gone. But perhaps I will learn something from your story that will allow me to find both Nikaltho and the medallion. Do you wish to continue?"

Natashmi continued.

***

Nat opened her eyes and found herself looking into a fire again. It was a cool morning with frost on any visible plant-life. The numerous stones and rocks that littered the landscape retained too much heat from the day, but soon there would be no more heat from the day to retain, and they too would be covered in white frost each morning.

Nat was glad to see that she was not covered in frost, for she had experienced that feeling before when she had fallen asleep outdoors during the cool fall season. Not only was she not cold, she was, in fact, quite warm. Some of that could be attributed to the fire that burned in front of her, but there was also a supernatural aspect to it.

The cloak she wore was not thick enough to make up for the lack of protection her dress provided. It must have been something Nik had done to her. The memories of last night came back to her, and with them, dozens of questions.

"I'm glad to see you're awake." Nik walked into Nat's field of vision and sat across the fire. He had in his hand three colstin eggs and leaned over the fire with them. As she watched him, all sleep left her eyes and her jaw dropped. There was a thin flat rock hovering just above the flames that she had not seen before.

As she moved a bit, she could see that there was absolutely nothing supporting the rock and it was just levitating in the fire. Nik cracked one of the eggs onto the stone and the immediate sizzling sound was like music to her Nat's ears. She continued to watch as her companion prepared some type of meat patty out of an animal he had caught. It was not your traditional sausage and egg breakfast, but Nat was hungry, and to her it tasted like a feast.

"Who are you?" she finally asked after they had eaten. "Or maybe a better question is: What are you?"

"I'm a Jedi Knight," he replied.

"Is that like a Knight of Thersima?"

Nik laughed. "Hardly. Your Knights of Thersima do not protect you as much as they keep you in servitude. Have you ever been to the capitol city of Thersima?" Nat shook her head. "It looks nothing like this," Nik motioned to the surroundings. "You live in a land that is wild and untamed. There is not much danger out here, but neither is there civilization. Your towns are made up of wood and stone. You live in squalor without technology or any of the luxuries the rest of the galaxy takes for granted.

"Thers City, your capitol, is nothing like this. The buildings there are made of steel and glass. They rise from the northern mountain range in great number and size. The city is one of the more advanced in this entire sector. The reason? Your emperor rules the rest of his continent with an iron fist, squeezing all of the money and resources out of you to use for himself. He does this with the Knights of Thersima. Most of the criminals they catch and torture are not criminals at all, they are just pioneers who are trying to bring technology and a more advanced way of living to you."

"You are not from this planet?" The idea had never occurred to Nat before. "I did not think off-worlders were allowed outside the capitol city."

"You've seen what I can do," Nik said flatly. "Do you think they could keep me in if they wanted?"

Nat conceded this. "But why would you want to? If the capitol city is as glorious as you say, why would you want to venture into this wasteland?"

"That's the beauty of it, isn't it? The emperor makes a law that everyone is happy to follow so he has no problem enforcing it. Anyone who trades with this planet goes through Thers City because, that is the only place with anything of value. As it turns out, that is not entirely true."

Nik reached into his tunic and pulled out the medallion. "Katshlauck," Nat said, the word implanted in her memory.

Nik nodded. "It is an ancient Sith word meaning 'The Chooser.' There is a prophecy that says a Jedi will come that will bring balance to the Force; he would be called the 'Chosen One.' The Sith feared that this 'Chosen One' would bring balance to the Force by eliminating them. There was enough reason back then – we're talking several thousand years – to believe that this medallion would play a role in bringing about the Chosen One, so, since it can not be destroyed by conventional means, they banished it to an uninhabited wasteland of a planet.

"I've spent the last thirty years researching it and my research brought me here."

"Thirty years!" Nat was shocked. "How old are you?"

Nik laughed. "You don't want to know."

"And the Sith are the ones you fought last night?"

"Not exactly, they were mostly inforps."

"I've heard that word used a few times, what does it mean?" Nat asked.

Nik took a deep breath. He would have to tell the story from the beginning. "The Force is an energy field that surrounds all living things. Some people are born with the ability to commune with this Force and manipulate it. The degree to which one can use it is their Force potential. Ninety-nine percent of the galaxy has absolutely no Force potential at all. The Jedi Council, with the help of the Republic government makes a very strong effort to identify that one percent of the population that has some Force potential and find out about them. Less than one in a thousand of that one percent has enough potential to become a Jedi, and even most of those will only be able to do simple tasks like levitate rocks and such.

"The process to weed out those with out enough Force potential is very strenuous on the students involved. They have a goal in front of them that they all dream about, but only a very few will ever realize it. At each level of the screening process, more and more students are eliminated leaving only the best students. Anyone who makes it to the final few levels probably has enough potential to become a Jedi, but the council is wary of taking anyone that might not be able withstand the training, and many of these capable students are dismissed. They are told they have insufficient Force potential."

"Inforps," Nat said, figuring out how the word was derived.

"As you can imagine, these students with 'insufficient Force potential' are often quite bitter and frustrated. They know they have talent and they know they could become a Jedi, but they are rejected anyway. The Sith preyed on these students relentlessly, winning many of them over to their side. Since their potential is limited, the Sith focused them on battle techniques. All of the frustration and anger at being rejected by the council was funneled into their training and they became very powerful fighters. They were still no match for trained Jedi, but against a civilian population, they were unstoppable.

"This eventually led to a great battle and the elimination of the Sith. It also changed the way in which the Jedi Council searches for Jedi. It was believed that the Sith were eliminated and have been extinct for a thousand years at least. Most of us thought that there were probably some somewhere in the galaxy, but without showing themselves, we had no way of knowing. Apparently my little search for this medallion has flushed them out. I need to get back to Coruscant and report this. Of course, if all they have are inforps, there is not too much to worry about."

"They are not all inforps," Nat said. "There is one named Korath who seems to have powers like you. And they all talk in hushed tones about someone named Darth Sidious."

Nik had felt Korath, but the name Darth Sidious was new to him. He had felt Korath and his two main inforps when he had stormed their camp last night. They had fled while Nik went about with the rescue. Nik knew that he would eventually have to fight Korath, but he was not worried about it. Korath did not seem like much of a Force user. This Darth Sidious on the other hand . . .

"So what does that medallion do? I mean are you now this Chosen One that is going to kill all the Sith? It looked like it last night."

Nik laughed. "No, I am not the Chosen One. I'm one of the few who do not believe in the prophecy. I guess that's why I took it upon myself to find this thing. I can not argue that it has helped my focus, and my Force skills are augmented considerably by it."

"In what way?"

"The Sith believe that bringing balance to the Force means eliminating evil. That's not balance. It is severe unbalance. In order to have a true balance you need to have equal portions of both sides or nothing at all. I understand this now. Even though I have been through rigorous training to control my emotions, I still feel hate, anxiety, fear, sorrow, love, elation, and everything else a normal person feels. Now I find that I am able to put all those emotions aside. Do you remember what I did to you back in the tavern?"

"You kissed me," Nat smiled.

"Yes," Nik blushed, "but do you remember what it did to you? I had laid bare your inmost thoughts and desires to try and help you see what you really wanted. I did not realize how much emotional strain that would put on you, so I needed to balance everything out. When I, uh, kissed you, that was the medallion ordering your thoughts and emotions. Of course, I never expected to see you again. That's Korath for you."

"So you believe in the prophecy now?" Nat asked.

"Not at all," Nik responded. "I believe that a long time ago a Jedi Master created this artifact to help his students concentrate better. Word of how it could be used and how it helped Jedi control themselves was leaked out and some Sith philosopher decided to turn it into a prophecy. Either way, the Jedi Council is going to want to look at it. If it is going to bring about the Chosen One, who will destroy all Force users until there is a balance, then the council is in jeopardy too."

"This has been a great history lesson," Nat said, getting up to stretch her legs. "But where does it leave us? As I see it, there are still three Sith trained killers out there who would like to get their hands on your pretty necklace. Plus, where do I fit in?"

"No offense Natashmi, but you don't. I'm sorry for bringing you into this but I was out of ideas on how to shake them."

"Why not kill them?"

"I've tried, but they just run away like last night. Korath has been tracking me with the Force, which is really easy for him once I started wearing this." Nik picked up the medallion and stuffed it back inside his tunic. "I figured if I could get him to change his focus to you for a while, trying to pick your brain as to where I hid the medallion, I might be able to slip out of his scope for long enough to get away. That didn't work. So I apologize for bringing you into this. I'll just drop you off at the next village, and I don't see any reason why Korath should bother you further."

"But I want to go with you," Nat insisted.

Nik just smiled at her as he began to collect the small camp they had set. "You would be much safer away from me. Besides, this is your home, and I am not staying here long. I need to get back to Corsucant."

"But-"

Nik made a gesture, and Nat was quiet. "Let's not talk about it now. We need to get going. Korath might not be able to stand up to me face to face, but that does not mean he will give up completely."

Nik strapped a few provisions to the back of the horse they both shared and helped Nat up into the saddle. He knew it was not good for the horse to carry two riders all day, but Nat barely weighed anything, and Nik planned to help out with the Force.

They rode for most of the day, only stopping when Nat asked for a break or when the horse needed water. As the sun was setting in the west, they entered the lower foothills of the northern mountain range. To the north-northwest, Thers City lay, and Nik planned to set out in the morning alone and be off this planet in less than a day.

Nestled in a wide valley, a kilometer into the foothills was a small village. Nik led the horse down the quaint main street and saw there were still a few stores open. He stopped in one and bought Nat two extra sets of clothes. Nat took the clothes and thanked him, but Nik could tell there was something on her mind. "What is it?"

"You're going to leave me here, aren't you?"

Nik pulled the horse up in front of the only hotel in the town. "I'll get us some rooms in here."

He dismounted and started to walk into the front office, but Nat grabbed his arm. "Nik, I don't-"

"You'll be fine," he said, not even turning to look at her.

"No, I-"

"Yes," he said slowly, still facing the hotel, "you will. Now let me get us some rooms."

Nik returned a while later and handed her a key. They did not speak as he led the horse around back and tied it in one of the stalls available for visitors. Their rooms were upstairs, and they climbed the outdoor staircase. Nik almost shoved Nat into her room and then quickly went to his.

He had been sitting in the lone chair in his room for less than a minute before there was a knock on his door. "Yes?"

It was Nat. "Why don't you take me with you? I mean to Cosarant, or where ever. I could come with you."

He looked at her firmly, yet with a kind face. "Natashmi, this is your home. You belong here. You would not like it on Coruscant."

"How would you know?! I might love it ther-"

"Natashmi," Nik interrupted, "I'm not going to take you to Coruscant."

She wanted to argue more, but the look on the Jedi's face was unyielding. Instead she walked over and sat on his bed. Nik stared at her for a while, but she did not return the look and kept her eyes fixed on the floor.

It was getting late, and Nik wanted to get some sleep as tomorrow promised to be a big day. He wanted to get some sleep, but there was someone sitting on his bed. "Natashmi," he started.

"My name is Nat!" she cried back indignantly.

"Why?" he asked patiently.

"What do you mean 'why?' It's just my name."

Nik could tell she was hurt. He was not so out of touch to realize that she had a crush on him. As a Jedi he had a responsibility to protect the innocent, and as a strong male, the damsel in distress was a strong draw as well, but he knew he had to draw the line here. Still . . .

Nik got up and walked over to sit next to her on the bed. "But Nat is such a silly name?"

"Your name is stupid too!"

Okay, that was not a good start. "I mean Natashmi is such a pretty name. Why don't you like it?"

"No one has called me that in a long time. Not since . . ."

"Your parents called you Natashmi, didn't they?"

Nat nodded.

"Well I think it is a much better name than Nat. Nat makes you sound like a little kid. But Natashmi makes you sound like an . . ."

"An angel?" She asked quickly.

"What?"

"An angel. You called me an angel yesterday morning when we first me. Right before you kissed me."

Nik blushed a little. "So I did. I was going to say Natashmi makes you sound like an adult."

"Oh," Nat was quiet for a while. "What's an angel?"

Now Nik hesitated. "Angels are heavenly beings. They are beautiful and strong. They walk around in the clouds and look out for the people living below. Some people believe that everyone of us has a special guardian angel that always protects us."

"Can there be guy angels?"

Nik nodded.

"Why do I remind you of an angel?" Nat asked the question and leaned on his shoulder, looking up at him expectantly.

"You are strong, Natashmi. You might not think it, but you are strong. You have survived on your own in a very harsh world. You were confused at first, but I believe you will do very well for yourself. You no longer need someone to look out for you. You will make a very good mother."

Nat did not ask any more questions but just continued to lean on her personal guardian angel. Nik allowed this indulgence for a while, but not too long. "Now I think it is time to go back to your room."

"But what if Korath comes tonight? What if he comes looking for me?"

"He wants me, not you?" Nik said.

"But what if he goes into the wrong room and kidnaps me again to get at you?"

Nik looked down at her troubled face. "Do you want to stay in my room tonight?"

"Please?" she sounded jubilant. "I don't snore. I promise. And I'll even sleep on the floor. I mean this . . . is . . . your . . be . . ."

Nik put his hand on her forehead and her voice slowed and quieted until she was fast asleep.

***

"It's getting late," Davies said, looking outside.

Natashmi craned her neck to peer out the window behind her. It was very dark, and the sky had a grayish haze to it that anyone who had ever lived in a temperate zone would recognize as a snow sky. The wind that had brought the clouds had died down. It looked like a nice night to curl up to the fire and cuddle with a good book.

"I understand if you want to wait-"

"No," Natashmi said, "I'm almost done. The next day is the last. And I only remember very little of it."

Davies leaned forward, excited to finally get to the end of her tale. "Very well, tell me what you remember."

***

The bed shook. Nat's eyes snapped open to find out that the dream she had been having was reality. The wooden furniture rattled on the hard floor, and the few loose items in the room fell off their respective shelves. The room sounded like it was going to tear itself apart.

Nat's eyes continued to look around until she saw Nik. "Nik, what's going on?"

"I don't know," he said quickly, rising from the chair he had slept in. He had thought about the other half of the bed, but had settled on the chair. He rushed over to the bed just as a huge crack formed in the wall next to it and the glass shattered from the window, falling to the street below. "We need to get out of here."

The building rocked back and forth like it was a ship tossed at sea, and the two hotel guests felt like stumbling drunks going down the hallway. The stairs to the ground were gone when they got outside. Nik picked up Nat and leaped off the landing just as it too gave way.

He landed softly on the ground, or at least tried to. The ground rolled and shook beneath his feet, sending the pair tumbling into the dusty street. "It's an earth quake," Nik said quite unnecessarily. "And a very bad one."

Slowly the ground calmed down, and the cracking and shattering of the buildings around them turned into yelling and screaming. There was light in the eastern sky and Nik knew it was almost dawn. "I've never felt one of those before," Nat said bringing her hand up to her head to try and steady herself. She was still a bit tipsy and tired from their hasty exit.

"It did not seem natural," Nik agreed. He kept looking around until he had his answer. There was a thin trail of smoke rising in the north that was growing thicker. The Force called out to him, and he listened. "It's Korath," he said finally.

"He made the earthquake?"

"Not directly," Nik said, already walking around back to get his horse. "He has awakened a volcano."

"A volcano!" Nat screamed. "I thought you said he wasn't that powerful. How could he make a volcano?"

Nik untied the horse and spent a moment soothing it, for it was still a bit spooked from the quake. "I know of no Force user in the galaxy powerful enough to create a volcano, but to wake a dormant one only takes a rudimentary understanding of geology. It does also require a great deal of strength, but the inforps were trained to deliver such shock waves as part of their limited Force training." Nik pulled himself into the saddle.

"But why did they do it?" She walked up to him to try and climb into the saddle too, but the horse would not stand still.

"To get my attention. Undoubtedly he wants the amulet or he will drench this town in lava. I have to go." He kicked his heals into the horse and took off.

"But aren't you even going to," but he was out of range, "say goodbye," she finished to herself. Nat watched him go, thinking about running after him, but he was out of sight in just a few seconds. Instead, she just wandered slowly back to the front of the hotel where people were scrambling about trying to figure out what had happened.

A few fires had sprung up, and there was some effort to put them out. Others had been cut by shattered glass and medical treatment was being given. Children were crying, women were screaming, and men were shouting out orders and instruction as loud as they all could. It felt like she was wandering through the middle of the war, and the war was ignoring her.

Nat felt something nudge her back, and she turned around suddenly. She yelped in surprise when she saw a large horse standing right behind her. It had a tether rope hanging from its bridle, but it was torn. It had probably ripped it free during the quake.

"What do you want?" Nat asked the animal. It snorted and motioned with its head. It was a natural gesture, but Nat thought it looked like the horse was pointing to something. She turned and looked in the direction Nik had ridden out of town to the north. Her eyes went up to the trail of smoke rising from the nearby mountain.

"Right," she said, turning back to the horse. "He's not getting away without saying goodbye."

Nat was not an expert rider, but her time with Nik was not the first time she had ridden. Even so, the horse was more than cooperative, kneeling a little to let her on. It also did not take much prodding to get him to race down the street and north out of town.

Nat's horse was a fine animal, much better than the one Nik had. It picked its way through the trees and over the rocky ground almost without breaking stride. She knew that Nik, with the Force, would easily get to the three Sith trained fighters before her, but she wanted it that way. She planned on riding up to him right after he had killed them and dealt with the volcano. That way he could not just run off to Coruscant without her.

Nat held on to the horse firmly, enduring the bumpy ride through the foothills, not even knowing that it was much bumpier than it had to be due to the constant rumblings of the volcano ahead of her. Also, despite the promise of raining fire and lava, it was cold. Nat pulled the new cloak Nik had bought her tight over her shoulders, not knowing if it was the cold in the air or the chill in her soul that sent shivers through her body. There was something that felt very final about what was about to happen, and she was riding straight for it. As they neared the restless mountain, though, Nat noticed that the air was becoming significantly warmer. She could also tell it was coming from the ground.

Her horse had been very helpful thus far, almost as if it was responding to some supernatural calling, but when they drew within a kilometer of the volatile peak, it was very reluctant to continue. Nat understood, and dismounted. The ground was getting too rocky anyway. She patted its flank and sent it running back to town.

The trees on the rocky up-slope were pines, and they became more and more sparse as she climbed. After only a few minutes of scampering up, she broke through the tree line and stopped. The noise of the volcano was almost deafening. Just one hundred meters ahead was the lip of the monster, smoking and growling into the sky. Standing like guards before their creation were Korath, Oric, and Leon. Nik stood in front of them with his back to Nat. She quickly scampered back behind the nearest tree, hoping she had not been seen.

"Give us Katshlauck and we will shut this thing down," Korath yelled above the noise and rumbling behind him.

"I give this to you," Nik repeated, the medallion hanging outside his cloak, "you shut down the volcano, then I kill you and take it back. Sounds like a deal."

The three Force users in front of him exchanged glances, trying to think their scenario through. Oric and Leon were getting worried this might just turn into another hasty retreat like so many of Korath's great plans.

"I'm not stupid," Nik continued. "If I give you Katshlauck, you will run and leave me to deal with the volcano."

"You can not shut it down, Jedi," Korath argued.

"And you can?"

"We are not as weak as you assume," Korath said. "We have meditated over this mountain all night and know all of its vital areas and pressure pockets. Oh, yes, we can shut it down. But only if you give us the amulet."

Korath stretched out his hand and Nik could feel the tug around his neck. Nik drew his lightsaber. He was running out of time. "Shut it down or I will strike you down!"

"We are the only ones who can, Nikaltho. Killing us will help nothing."

"We shall see," Nik responded, igniting his blade and charging. Korath leaped high into the air, flipping over the charge, leaving Oric and Leon to meet the deadly Jedi. Their blades were out and ready as they flanked him, striking from either side in tandem so Nik could not block both. Instead the Jedi rolled under the attacks on the rocky ground and spun around to take out one of their legs. Unfortunately, the attack was aimed at Oric, the smaller and more limber of the two inforps. He easily jumped over the attack and scrambled back. Leon too took a step back and readied for an attack.

All the combatants had done was switch places. Now Nik's back was to the gaping hole in the top of the mountain, and he could feel that there was not much time left.

"You are out of time, Jedi," Korath voiced Nik's concern. "I do not believe even we can get far enough away from here in the time remaining to be safe. We will be forced to shut it down, but only if you give us Katshlauck." He held out his hand again. "Give it to us or we shall all die!"

"Then we all die!" Nik screamed back, raising his lightsaber again.

Korath just laughed, diffusing Nik's potential attack. "You are noble, Nikaltho. I expected nothing less from you. You would willingly give your life; so will we. But can you sacrifice the people in that town below."

With his back to the north, Nik could easily see the town a few kilometers away. Smoke was rising from the houses, a combination of intentional and accidental fires. They were scrambling about trying regain some order, totally oblivious to the death that waited to rain down on them. The lava would flow down into the town destroying everything. None would be able to escape.

"Yes," Korath said, seeing a sudden change come over Nik. "They will all die and only because you were too proud to admit when you were defeated. Give us the amulet, we are not bluffing."

Nik looked back at his adversaries. Of course they were not bluffing. They would willingly sacrifice this entire planet to get what they wanted. And if they failed in their task, their lives were forfeit anyway. Instant death by lava was not so unappealing when compared to the horrors their Sith masters would bring upon them if they returned without Katshlauck.

"Yes, Nikaltho," Korath continued. "We will all die here today because of your stubbornness. Everything will be destroyed. Almost everything, that is. Katshlauck will survive. You know that it can not be destroyed except by the Force. We will all die, and then my brethren will come and exhume the amulet. Then you will have killed everyone in that town for nothing."

Korath took a step forward with his hand outstretched again. "Give it to me and end this madness!"

He did not have a choice. If he did nothing, it would happen exactly as Korath has said. They would all die and the Sith would get the amulet. The Jedi did not know where he was. They knew he was on Thersma, but that was it. Korath had probably told his superiors exactly where they were. If he gave them Katshlauck at least then he would have a fighting chance to get it back. Slowly, he lifted the amulet off his chest and began to take it off.

From down the slope, hiding behind a tree Nat watched everything. She could not hear what they were saying, but she knew what was going on. She could feel, with no Force potential at all, that the mountain was going to explode any second. She had watched as Nik had cast his eyes toward the town behind her and knew the Sith warriors had him in a lose/lose situation.

Still, Nat thought that he would find some way to defeat them. She had watched Nik do many amazing things in the short time she had known him, and she hoped their adventure would not end in defeat. He had to be able to get out of this. But as he began remove his medallion, obviously giving in to his enemies' demands, Nat could not accept it.

"Noooooooo!!!" There was no way they would be able to hear her above the noise, but it did not matter. She screamed anyway. "No, Nik, no!"

Nik paused. He could not hear the voice but he definitely felt it. He looked down the slope and saw Nat standing in the open. He could not hear her, but with the Force, he could understand what she was saying.

-No, Nik. You can't let them win. You are my guardian angel!-

Nik smiled. Instead of taking the amulet off gently, he violently ripped it from his neck. "You want it, come and get it!" He turned and ran up the last ten meters of the slope and leaped into the volcano.

"No!" Korath screamed, and he raced after the Jedi. Oric and Leon followed their leader. But none of the three dared to follow once they reached the edge. Instead they just looked down into the churning lava below.

Then the mountain exploded.

Nat had begun to run up the mountain too, but when the top thirty meters of the peak just evaporated, she was thrown violently back. The shock wave carried her high through the air, flying far away from the blast zone. She flew through the tops of tress, slowing her descent until she crashed into a thicker trunk. It bent backwards, absorbing the weight of her body and almost gently guiding her to the ground. Still, Nat landed with a jarring thud on the rocky ground and lost consciousness.

***

"I didn't think I would ever wake up," Natashmi said, draining the second cup of hot chocolate Davies had given her. "I guess just the fact that I could think I wouldn't wake up meant I wasn't dead." She chuckled a little. Davies did too.

"I mean, all I kept thinking was that any second I was going to be showered with rock and lava, or maybe covered with ash and suffocated. But it didn't happen."

"The knights found you like that?" Davies asked.

Natashmi nodded. "They had responded to the explosion. They said they heard it as far away as Thers City."

"What about Nik and the others?"

Nat shook her head. "Nothing. The knights said they found nothing. The volcano had not erupted, but when Nik did what ever he did, he made sure Korath and his two sidekicks would not be around afterwards."

Davies nodded. "Yes, the volcano is sealed up tight again. It will not go off any time soon. Nikaltho saved the town, and you probably."

Nat did not say anything, having already come to that conclusion. Nik must have done something to protect her, but what?

"Let me get that for you," Davies said, reaching for her empty mug.

"Huh," Nat replied, brought out of her contemplation. "Oh, thanks." She handed him the mug.

Davies took it and walked slowly back to the kitchen. He pushed through the swinging door and moved to the sink.

"Do you think she is telling the truth?" The voice was low and guttural.

Davies knew he was there, but it still startled him. He turned to face the Zabrak, a feeling of terror rising up within him. Sidious knew how to pick them. "I believe so. I see no reason for her to lie."

The alien nodded. Davies stood still before him, trying not to stare at the horns that crowned his head or the red and black pattern that covered his face. Was that a tattoo or his natural skin color? Maul had only been under Darth Sidious for a few months, but already the alien had become his main apprentice. And Sidious usually despised aliens.

It would have been better if Maul had been able to question the girl, for he had much more Force potential than Davies, but they had made this the arrangement for obvious reasons. Natashmi would have never opened up to Maul.

"What are we to do?" Davies asked.

"If Nikaltho sealed Katshlauck in the volcano then he did us all a favor. It can not be recovered without awakening the volcano and destroying the town below it. The Jedi will not do this."

"But how did he do it?"

Maul looked hard at him. "Do you not know what Katshlauck is? It brings balance. The volcano was ready to erupt. It was not in balance. Nikaltho used the medallion to fix that."

Davies was still confused. "But he had spent most of his life as a Jedi searching for Katshlauck. Now he just seals it up in a volcano so no one can get it. It does not make sense."

"He was in conflict himself," Maul explained. "He sought power but felt obligated to protect a few pathetic townspeople. In the end, he failed because he could not decide between the two. There is no room for compassion or emotion in a true fighter. The Light side is weak."

"Of course," Davie said, bowing slightly. "So what do we do with the girl?"

"She knows too much. If the Jedi come, they will be able to question her."

Davies smiled. "She will not be missed by anyone." He turned around, an evil grin on his face. He would kill her, but maybe he could have a little fun first. The restraint and false smiles he had given her during the story telling had been killing him. Maybe he could show her what IT really was.

He pushed back through the swinging door from the kitchen and entered the sitting room. Natashmi was gone. Davies spun around a few times, looking all about the room. Where could she go? Why would she go? He thought the room felt a bit cooler. He ran down a short hallway toward the front door. He pushed it open and looked outside.

It was snowing heavily. He looked down for tracks, but it had only started snowing within the last hour, and any tracks were already covered over. Davies looked all about, wondering which way she could have gone. If only he was more than just an inforp he might be able to track her with the Force, but she was no different than anyone of the other several thousand people who lived in this town.

As he stood just outside the door, wondering where she could have gone, he heard a creak behind him. He spun about and almost shrieked. Maul looked very ominous as he stood in the doorway, his silhouette darkened from the light behind him. "She escaped?"

"I only left her for a minute. She could not have gotten far. It wasn't my fault."

Maul removed a large cylinder from his cloak. "I'll be sure to tell Darth Sidious you thought that when I give my report." He attacked.

***

Natashmi ran through the street, not really knowing where she was going, but knowing that she had to get away from that house. She had never been to this town before, and she could barely see through the snow anyway. Even so, as her right hand casually toyed with the necklace she wore, she felt like she was going somewhere.

The necklace had been on her neck when the knights had found her. She did not know how it had gotten there, but she was beginning to understand what it was. She did not know if it was Nik, Katshlauck, or some combination of both, but she was learning to trust it. She had listened when it had told her to be silent under the knights' questions. She had listened when it had told her to open up to Davies. And she had just recently listened when it had told her to run.

Now she was weaving her way through town as if following some predetermined path. She heard noise from around the back of a building and ran toward it. She turned a corner and saw there were five large wagons all loaded up with people getting ready to head out of town. One man in particular looked like he was in charge, and Natashmi ran up to him.

"Whoa, miss, this is not somewhere you want to be, I think. What are you doing out at night?"

"Where are you going?" she asked, still playing with her pendant and listening to it closely.

"To Thers City," he responded.

"Is it far?"

"A few hours," he replied. "We were going to leave in the morning, but if the snow keeps up, that won't be possible. We need to leave now. Now if you'll exc-"

"I need to get to Thers City," she said suddenly.

"Really, and what business do you have there?"

"I need to go to Coruscant. I need to talk with the council."

"Sounds like quite a mission for one so small."

"I'm strong," she said confidently.

The man looked at her closely. "Yes you are," he mumbled to himself. "Okay. I think there is still some room in the second wagon."

Natashmi turned to run, but the man stopped her. "Wait, darling. Do you have a name?"

"Na-" she started, but then stopped. If Davies came looking for her she would have to use something else. She wanted to use her full name, like Nik had, but she knew she had to be cautious. "Shmi," she settled with. She was still playing with the angel pendant around her neck and looked down at it. They walk in the clouds. "Skywalker," she added. "Shmi Skywalker."

"Well, Shmi, it's good to have you aboard. Now please hurry." He watched her run to the second wagon and find room inside. He laughed to himself. "Coruscant. To talk with the council. Trust me darling, you don't want to go there. I'll take you somewhere where it is much warmer."

He climbed up onto the lead wagon and gave the order to start out. He loved primitive worlds. Collecting slaves was just too easy. They actually begged to come along. And this was a good load. The Hutts would pay him well. Of course they would all have to have their memories cleared. And there was a health screening they had to go through. Plus they would have to . . .

The slaver kept thinking about these things long after the wagon tracks leaving the small town were covered by the fast falling snow.

The End


End file.
